Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and east by Ypsilanti Township. Ypsilanti is the historic site of Michigan State Normal School, now

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

, the fourth

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

established in the United States, and the historical campus of Cleary Business College, now Cleary University. It is also the location of the first

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...

History

Originally a trading post established in 1809 by a French-Canadian fur trader from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the

Territory of Michigan The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after

Demetrios Ypsilantis Demetrios Ypsilantis (alternatively spelled Demetrius Ypsilanti; el, Δημήτριος Υψηλάντης, ; ro, Dumitru Ipsilanti; 1793August 16, 1832) was a Greek army officer who served in both the Hellenic Army and the Imperial Russian ...

, a hero in the Greek War of Independence. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, the year its namesake effectively won the war for Greek Independence at the Battle of Petra, with the two communities eventually merging. A bust of Demetrios Ypsilantis by Greek sculptor Christopher Nastos stands between a Greek and a US flag at the base of the landmark

Ypsilanti Water Tower The Ypsilanti Water Tower is a historic water tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The tower was designed by William R. Coats and built as part of an elaborate city waterworks project that began in 1889. Located on the highest point in ...

. Ypsilanti has played an important role in the automobile industry. From 1920 to 1922, Apex Motors produced the "ACE" car. It was in Ypsilanti that

Preston Tucker Preston Thomas Tucker (21 September 1903 – 26 December 1956) was an American automobile entrepreneur. He is most remembered for his Tucker 48 sedan, initially nicknamed the "Tucker Torpedo", an automobile which introduced many features ...

(whose family owned the Ypsilanti Machine Tool Company) designed and built the prototypes for his Tucker '48. Tucker's story was related in the film '' Tucker: The Man and His Dream'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In 1945, Henry J. Kaiser and Joseph W. Frazer bought the nearby

Willow Run Willow Run, also known as Air Force Plant 31, was a manufacturing complex in Michigan, United States, located between Ypsilanti Township and Belleville, built by the Ford Motor Company to manufacture aircraft, especially the B-24 Liberator hea ...

B-24 Liberator bomber plant from

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

, and started to make Kaiser and Frazer model cars in 1947. The last Kaiser car made in Ypsilanti rolled off the assembly line in 1953, when the company merged with

Willys-Overland Willys (pronounced , "Willis" ) was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs) ...

and moved production to

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. General Motors purchased the Kaiser Frazer plant, and converted it into its Hydramatic Division (now called its Powertrain division), beginning production in November 1953. The GM Powertrain Division ceased production at this facility in 2010. Ypsilanti is also the location of the last Hudson automobile dealership. Today, the former dealership is the site of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection. The museum is the home to an original Fabulous Hudson Hornet race car, which inspired the character Doc Hudson in the 2006

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

animated film ''

Cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

''. In the early 1970s, the citizens reduced the penalty for the use and sale of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

to $5 (the Ypsilanti Marijuana Initiative; see also the Human Rights Party). In 1979, Faz Husain was elected to the Ypsilanti city council, the first

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and the first native of India to win elected office in Michigan. In the 1990s Ypsilanti became the first city in Michigan to pass a

living wage A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as a subsistence wage, which refers to a biological minimum, or a solidarity wage, which refers to a minimum wage tracking labor ...

ordinance. On July 23, 2007, Governor

Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is a Canadian-American lawyer, educator, author, political commentator, and politician serving as the 16th United States secretary of energy since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she pre ...

announced that Ypsilanti, along with the cities of

Caro Caro may refer to: Places * Caro, Michigan, United States * Caro, Morbihan, France * Çaro, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France Other uses * Caro (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Caro (surname), including a list of peo ...

and

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί� ...

, was chosen by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to take part in the Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns program. The award provides for an economic development consultant to assist Ypsilanti in developing a growth and job creation strategy for the downtown area. On June 23, 2020, Mayor Beth Bashert resigned after controversial comments she made about race during a

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...

meeting.

Timeline

* 1809 – Trading post established by French-Canadian Gabriel Godfroy from Montreal * 1823 – Village of Woodruff's Grove

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted * 1825 – April 21, Plat recorded under the name Ypsilanti * 1827 – Ypsilanti Township organized * 1832 – June 19, Woodruff's Grove re-organized and incorporated as the Village of Ypsilanti * 1849 –

founded as

Michigan State Normal School Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

* 1858 – February 4, the Village of Ypsilanti reincorporated as a city * 1890 – Michigan's first interurban, the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Street Railway, begins service * 1890 – The

is completed * 1929 – Miller Motors Hudson opens, it eventually becomes the last Hudson dealership in the world * 1931 – McKenny Union opens as the first

student union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

on the campus of a

teachers' college A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

. * 1959 – Eastern Michigan becomes a university * 1960 –

Tom Monaghan Thomas Stephen Monaghan (born March 25, 1937) is an American entrepreneur who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1992. Monaghan also owns the Domino's Farms Office Park, located in the Ann Arbor Charter Town ...

and James Monaghan found

as DomiNick's Pizza at 507 W. Cross St, Ypsilanti. * 1967 – Ypsilanti resident

John Norman Collins The Michigan Murders was a series of highly publicized killings of young women committed between 1967 and 1969 in the Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti area of Southeastern Michigan by an individual known as the Ypsilanti Ripper, the Michigan Murderer, and t ...

is suspected of being the perpetrator of the

Michigan murders The Michigan Murders was a series of highly publicized killings of young women committed between 1967 and 1969 in the Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti area of Southeastern Michigan by an individual known as the Ypsilanti Ripper, the Michigan Murderer, and th ...

, a series of murders of coeds at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and Eastern Michigan University. He was convicted in 1969, but of only one of the murders. * 1990 – Eastern Michigan University achieves its highest student enrollment of 26,000 * 1998 – The Michigan Firehouse Museum is established preserving a firehouse built in 1898.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (4.02%) is water. The Huron River flows through Ypsilanti with Ford Lake on the southern edge of the city. Paint Creek also runs through the city. The

Border-to-Border Trail The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The trail is planned to cover approximately from Livingston County to Wayne County along the Huron River. In thirteen segments fro ...

runs through the city.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 19,435 people, 8,026 households, and 2,880 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,271 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 29.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 3.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 4.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.9% of the population. There were 8,026 households, of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 19.7% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 64.1% were non-families. 42.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 25 years. 14.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 35.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 16.6% were from 45 to 64; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,362 people, 8,551 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,081.5 per square mile (1,962.3/km²). There were 9,215 housing units at an average density of 2,094.0 per square mile (808.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.40%

, 30.58%

, 0.44% Native American, 3.18%

, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.32% from

, and 3.01% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.47% of the population. 13.6% were of German, 6.8% Irish, 6.4% English and 5.5%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. There were 8,551 households, out of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.0% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.5% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city the population was spread out, with 15.9% under the age of 18, 38.2% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 12.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,610, and the median income for a family was $40,793. Males had a median income of $30,328 versus $26,745 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,692. About 16.9% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

was founded in Ypsilanti in 1960 near the campus of Eastern Michigan University. By 1963, Clara Owens established the Ypsilanti Greek Theater in Ypsilanti, Michigan for the performance of Greek theater productions. In 1966 the Ypsilanti Greek Theater opened at the EMU Baseball field. Bert Lahr and Dame Judith Anderson starred in two productions, ''The Oresteia'', a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus and ''The Birds'' by playwright Aristophanes. Since 1979, the city has become known for summer festivals in the part of the city called "

Depot Town Depot Town is a commercial area, with some residences above storefronts, in Ypsilanti, Michigan's historic district. Depot Town proper consists of East Cross Street from the Huron River to North River Street, and a small area on the 300-block ...

", which is adjacent to both Riverside and Frog Island Parks along the banks of the Huron River. Festivals include the annual

Ypsilanti Heritage Festival YpsiFest (formerly Ypsilanti Heritage Festival) is a festival in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ypsilanti, Michigan. Held each year on the fourth weekend of August, the festival sprawls across Frog Island Park, Riverside Park, and historic Depot Town. The ...

Michigan ElvisFest The Michigan ElvisFest is an annual two-day festival occurring each July in Riverside Park and Depot Town in Ypsilanti, Michigan, devoted to celebrating singer and actor Elvis Presley. History The Michigan ElvisFest was founded in 1999. Started ...

, the Orphan Car Festival, the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival, the former Frog Island Festival, and a Latino festival. Painter Fay Kleinman moved to Ypsilanti in the late 1980s with her husband, pianist Emanuel Levenson. Overlooking Riverside Park is the non-profit Riverside Arts Center. Established in 1994 through the efforts of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority and several public spirited citizens, the Riverside boasts a 115-seat black box theater, a sizable art gallery and some meeting rooms and offices. In 2006 the adjacent DTE building was renovated with "

Cool Cities Initiative Cool Cities Initiative began as an initiative started by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to spur growth and investment in Midwestern cities. The Initiative was proposed in 2003 in response to the brain drain of students attending college in M ...

" money and is in the process of being incorporated into the center's activities. Since 2013, Ypsilanti has participated in First Fridays, an arts and culture-based monthly event that features a self-guided tour of participating businesses highlighting local artists, and often free samples of food and drink. The same organization that coordinates the Ypsilanti First Friday event series coordinates Ypsi Pride, established in 2017, and the Festival of the Honey Bee. Ypsi Pride takes place on the first Friday in June and seeks to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture across the community by hosting a variety of family friendly programming, entertainment, and educational content.

Sites of interest

Ypsilanti has the second largest contiguous historic district in the state of Michigan, behind only the much larger city of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. The

Ypsilanti Historic District The Ypsilanti Historic District is a historic district located along several blocks on each side of the Huron River in the center of Ypsilanti, Michigan. The original portion of the district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 197 ...

includes both downtown Ypsilanti, along Michigan Avenue, and the Depot Town area adjacent to Frog Island Park and Riverside Park, which features many specialty shops, bars and grills, and a

farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...

. The Tridge is a

three-way In human sexuality, a threesome is commonly understood as "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". Though ''threesome'' most commonly refers to sexua ...

wooden footbridge under the Cross Street bridge over the Huron River at . The Tridge connects Riverside Park, Frog Island Park, and

. The Ypsilanti Water Tower, adjacent to the campus of Eastern Michigan University, holds the unique distinction of being the winner of the

Most Phallic Building contest Phallic architecture consciously or unconsciously creates a symbolic representation of the human penis. Buildings intentionally or unintentionally resembling the human penis are a source of amusement to locals and tourists in various places around ...

. Other sites of interest include: *

Ypsilanti District Library The Ypsilanti District Library is a library in Washtenaw County, Michigan, serving Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Superior Township. The library has been in operation since 1868, and today provides services with three branches and a bookm ...

Ypsilanti Historical Museum The Ypsilanti Historical Society, founded in 1961, operates the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The museum and archives are located at 220 N Huron St. in an Italianate mansion built in 1860 ...

(housed in a Victorian mansion built in 1860) * Automotive Heritage Museum * Michigan Firehouse Museum *

, built in 1890 *

Ypsilanti Food Co-op The Ypsilanti Food Co-op is a food cooperative located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Located in historic Depot Town, it is Michigan's only solar-powered grocery store. Also owned by the co-op is the River Street Bakery, which features the only wood-fi ...

* Highland Cemetery, founded in 1864 * Pease Auditorium, built in 1914 (on the campus of Eastern Michigan University) * Starkweather House, built circa 1840 *

Starkweather Hall Starkweather Hall, also known as Starkweather Religious Center, is a religious and educational building located at 901 West Forest Avenue in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. It was designated a Michigan State Hist ...

, built in 1896 as a student religious center * Peninsular Paper Dam * Ladies' Literary Club Building, built in approximately 1843 * Brinkerhoff–Becker House, built in 1863–69

Parks and recreation

There are many parks within the city limits of Ypsilanti, including: * Border to Border Trail * Prospect Park * Riverside Park, which hosts the

, and Michigan Summer Beer Festival * Frog Island Park * Rutherford Municipal Pool, which re-opened in 2014 after community members raised $1 million for reconstruction

Education

K–12 education

Ypsilanti Community Schools Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) is a K-12 school district headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. () It was formed on July 1, 2013, by the merger of the Ypsilanti Public School District and the Willow Run School District. Experts in K-12 ...

serve residents of the city, as well as parts of Ypsilanti Township and Superior Township.

Ypsilanti Public Schools The Ypsilanti Public School District was a public school district in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, and serving Ypsilanti. Its State of Michigan School District code was 81020. It merged with Willow Run Community Schools and formed Ypsilanti Co ...

and

Willow Run Community Schools The Willow Run Community Schools (WRCS) was a school district in Washtenaw County, Michigan, serving portions of Superior Township and Ypsilanti Township. It was the sole political entity entirely of the "Willow Run" community. The district headqu ...

merged to form a new, united district on July 1, 2013.

Charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

s in the city include

Arbor Preparatory High School Arbor Preparatory High School, or for short, Arbor Prep is a public, charter high school located in Ypsilanti. Arbor Preparatory High School is a comprehensive high school serving 9-12th grades. It has 285 students and 40 faculty members.

. It also was the setting of a well known and long running High/Scope Perry Preschool Study regarding the effects of early childhood education in children. The study researched the effects of preschool on the later lives of low income children from the area. Global Educational Excellence operates the Global Tech Academy (PreK-5) in nearby Ypsilanti Township.GEE Academies
" Global Educational Excellence. Retrieved on September 1, 2015. "1715 E. Forest Ave. Ypsilanti MI 48198"()

Higher education

A college town, Ypsilanti is home to

, founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School. Today, Eastern Michigan University has 17,500+ undergraduate and more than 4,800 graduate students. As well, Ypsilanti is home to

Washtenaw Community College Washtenaw Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan.The Ann Arbor News ''The Ann Arbor News'' is a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published daily online through MLive.com, the paper also publishes print editions on Thursdays and Sundays. History Original publication Published in An ...

'', which then began publishing an Ypsilanti edition. ''The Ann Arbor News'' ceased publication on July 23, 2009; it was replaced by a new Internet-based news operation,

AnnArbor.com ''AnnArbor.com'' was an online newspaper that covered local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the surrounding Washtenaw County. In 2013 ''AnnArbor.com'' was transitioned to MLive.com along with Advance Publications other Michigan newspapers an ...

, which also produces print editions on Thursdays and Sundays. A weekly newspaper, the '' Ypsilanti Courier'', is published every Thursday by Heritage Media from their

Saline, Michigan Saline ( ') is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously. History Before the 18th century ...

offices. The only newspaper currently operating in Ypsilanti is

's independent newspaper ''The Eastern Echo''. Local radio stations include: * WEMU FM (89.1 FM), a public radio station, which broadcasts jazz and blues music and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

news from Eastern Michigan University * WQBR (610 AM carrier-current and University Cable Channel 10), EMU's student-run radio station * WDEO (990 AM), a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

religious radio station targeting the Detroit area *

WSDS WSDS (1480 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Salem Township, Michigan. Known as "La Explosiva," WSDS carries a Spanish-language Contemporary Music radio format, featuring Regional Mexican, Romantica, Spanish Rock, Salsa, Hurban, and ...

(1480 AM), licensed to nearby Salem and a former longtime country-music station, now broadcasts Spanish-language popular music as "La Explosiva" and has studios in Ypsilanti. *

WAAM WAAM is a radio station in Ann Arbor, Michigan, known as "WAAM TALK 1600" and "WAAM RADIO". The station is owned by Coolarity A2, LLC. The station operates at a maximum power of 5,000 watts at a frequency of 1600 kHz using a seven-tower direct ...

(1600 AM), a conservative Talk and News station serving Washtenaw County. Broadcasting local talk, sports and music shows. Owned by First Broadcasting.

Infrastructure

Major highways

* forms part of the southern boundary of the city. * runs concurrently with I-94 through the city. * is a business loop route through downtown Ypsilanti. * runs though the city and connects to Ann Arbor. * The

winds through Ypsilanti, linking the city to

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

and (eventually) Dexter.

Bus

*The

Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), which brands itself as "TheRide", is the public transport, public transit system serving the Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ypsilanti area in Southeast Michigan. In fis ...

operates bus service in Ypsilanti, with service radiating from the Ypsilanti Transit Center at 220 Pearl Street in downtown.

Notable people

Blanch Ackers Blanch Ackers (November 28, 1914 – May 24, 2003) was an African-American folk artist, who was born in Arkansas but spent most of her life in Michigan. She began drawing and painting while in her seventies, and her work has been acquired by th ...

– folk artist and painter *

Nickolas Ashford Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

– songwriter and singer in the duo

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

BabyTron James Edward Johnson III (born June 6, 2000), known professionally as BabyTron, is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his punchlines and beat selection, he initially gained popularity in 2019 with his track "Jesus Shuttleworth". Early ...

- rapper *

Samiya Bashir Samiya A. Bashir is an American lesbian poet and author. Much of Bashir's poetry explores the intersections of culture, change, and identity through the lens of race, gender, the body and sexuality. She is currently associate professor of creative ...

— American poet and author, born in Ypsilanti *

Mike Bass Michael Thomas Bass (born March 31, 1945) is a former American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) as a cornerback for the Washington Redskins from 1969 through 1975. He appeared in 104 consecutive games for the Reds ...

– NFL player,

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

(1967) and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

(1969–1975), scored touchdown in

Super Bowl VII Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

Walter Briggs Sr. Walter Owen Briggs Sr. (February 27, 1877 – January 17, 1952) was an American entrepreneur and professional sports owner. He was part-owner of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball from to , and then sole owner from 1935 to his death in ...

— owner of

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

1919–1952, born in Ypsilanti * Emor L. Calkins – State president of the Michigan

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

for 25 years *

Byron M. Cutcheon Byron Mac Cutcheon (May 11, 1836 – April 12, 1908) was an American Civil War officer, Medal of Honor recipient and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life Cutcheon was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire May 11, 1836 but his parents ...

–

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

general and U.S. Congressman * Brandon Denson – professional

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player who plays

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

Amy Devers Amy Devers (born July 2, 1971) is an American furniture designer, carpenter, television personality and design blogger. She currently is the host (with Alan Luxmore) and design expert on A+E Networks, A&E's ''Fix This Yard'', the host of ''The Vi ...

– furniture designer and TV personality (Freeform Furniture,

Designer People ''Designer People'' is a television documentary series launched in 2008 directed by Ross Close. Each episode showcases one of the world's leading artists in architectural design, communication design, industrial design, interior design, and fashi ...

Trading Spaces ''Trading Spaces'' is an hour-long American television reality program that originally aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series ''Changing Rooms''. The first ...

, Fix This Yard, Home Made Simple) *

Adam Gase Adam Joseph Gase (born March 29, 1978) is a former American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2013 to 2014, whose offense set the NFL record for ...

– former

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

head coach * Rodney Holman – NFL player,

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

(1982–1992), and the

(1993–1995) * Zeke Jones - American olympic wrestler *

Colby Keller Richard John Sawka II, better known as Colby Keller (born October 18, 1980) is an American visual artist and pornographic actor. His career in porn film started in 2004 at Sean Cody and subsequently expanded to include such studios as Cocksure ...

– American visual artist, blogger and former pornographic film actor * Charles S. Kettles was a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and a Medal of Honor recipient. *

Carolyn King Carolyn King (born 1961) was one of the first girls ever to play Little League Baseball, and was the centerpiece in a landmark sexual discrimination lawsuit in 1974. In 1973, Carolyn tried out for a spot in the Ypsilanti American Little League i ...

– one of first girls to play

Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Janae Marie Kroc Janae Marie Kroczaleski (born December 8, 1972 as Matthew Raymond Kroczaleski) is an American who previously competed as a professional powerlifter and competitive bodybuilder. In regard to combined (squat, bench press, and deadlift) equipped p ...

– record-setting powerlifter and transgender model *

Alfred Lucking Alfred Lucking (December 18, 1856 – December 1, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and was general counsel for the Ford Motor C ...

– U.S. Congressman * Helen Walker McAndrew (1825-1906) - Washtenaw County's first female physician and participant in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

William McAndrew William McAndrew Jr. (August 20, 1863 – June 13, 1937) was an American educator and editor who served as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools in the 1920s. McAndrew was, for a time, one of the best-known educators in the United States. ...

(1863-1937), educator who served as the

superintendent of Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) appointed by the mayor of Chicago. Currently serving as CEO is Pedro Martinez. This job is equivalent to a superintendent, and, before 1995, the occupant of this office was know ...

Elijah McCoy Elijah J. McCoy (May 2, 1844 – October 10, 1929) was a Canadian-American engineer of African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Born free on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie to parents who fled enslavem ...

– inventor and participant in the

in Ypsilanti *

Shara Nova Shara Nova (previously Worden) is the lead singer and songwriter for My Brightest Diamond. As a composer she is most recognized for her choral compositions and the baroque chamber opera "You Us We All". New music composers Sarah Kirkland Snider ...

– lead singer and songwriter for

My Brightest Diamond My Brightest Diamond is the project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Nova. The band has released five studio albums and a remix album, five studio EPs and four remix EPs, and made several tours across the United States. Histo ...

Russell C. Ostrander Russell C. Ostrander (September 1, 1851 – September 11, 1919) was an American jurist. Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ostrander taught school and then worked in a general store. He then studied law at the University of Michigan Law School and w ...

– former mayor of

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

and Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court * Frank Owen – pitcher for

1906 World Series The 1906 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1906 season. The third edition of the World Series, it featured a crosstown matchup between the American League champion Chicago White Sox and the National Leagu ...

champion

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Lowell Perry Lowell Wesley Perry (December 5, 1931 – January 7, 2001) was an American football player and coach, government official, businessman, and broadcaster. He was the first African-American assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL), the ...

– NFL football player, first African American hired to be assistant coach in the NFL *

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

– rock star, "Godfather of Punk" - grew up in the Coachville trailer park, lot 963423, on Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township (near Ypsilanti) during his teenage years at the start of his music career. * Anthony Sugent - Vocalist for the band

SycAmour SycAmour is a post-hardcore band from Ypsilanti, Michigan that was formed in 2010. They were previously signed to Hopeless Records and have released three albums. Members Current * Jeremy Gilmore - Clean Vocals * Jake Harris - Guitar * Tony ...

* Charles Ramsey – former

Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball The Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represents Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The team currently competes in the West division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They have appeared in four NCAA Division I tou ...

head coach; he played on the YHS baseball, basketball and football teams * Victor Roache – left fielder for

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Bob Schneider Bob Schneider (born October 12, 1965) is an Austin, Texas–based musician and former lead singer of the rock band Ugly Americans. He has released around a dozen albums, mostly on his own Shockorama label. ''Lonelyland'' (2001) was license ...

– prolific songwriter and musician - The Ugly Americans, The Scabs, Joe Rockhead, Texas Bluegrass Massacre, Lonelyland *

Don Schwall Donald Bernard Schwall (born March 2, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1961–62), Pittsburgh Pirates (1963–66) and Atlanta Braves (19 ...

– former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player (

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

) *

Ryan Shay Ryan Shay (May 4, 1979 – November 3, 2007) was an American professional long-distance runner who won several USA championships titles. He was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and attended the University of Notre Dame. He was married to Alic ...

(1979–2007) – long-distance runner * Michael Joseph Sobran Jr.-known professionally as Joseph Sobran, conservative writer and syndicated columnist *

Bob Sutton Robert Sutton may refer to: Politicians *Robert Sutton (died 1414), MP for Lincoln *Robert Sutton (MP for Derby), see Derby (UK Parliament constituency), Derby *Robert Dudley alias Sutton (died 1539), MP *Robert Sutton, 1st Baron Lexinton (1594– ...

– defensive coordinator for NFL's

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

; head coach for

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

1991–99 *

Marie Tharp Marie Tharp (July 30, 1920 – August 23, 2006) was an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer. In the 1950s, she collaborated with geologist Bruce Heezen to produce the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor. Her cartograp ...

(1920–2006) – geologist who pioneered understanding of

plate tectonics Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...

and

continental drift Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have "drifted" across the ocean bed. The idea of continental drift has been subsumed into the science of pla ...

(September 21, 1903 – December 26, 1956) was an American automobile entrepreneur, owned the Ypsilanti Tool & Dye Company. * Edwin F. Uhl – mayor of

, ambassador, U.S. Secretary of State

In popular culture

* It has been said that Ypsilanti is the

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

to Ann Arbor's

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Comparable to the gentrification causing many artists, poets, musicians, and hipsters to flee the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

of Manhattan, New York City to areas like

Bushwick, Brooklyn Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...

, nearby Ann Arbor has experienced massive increases in land value and taxes over the last several decades. Despite Ann Arbor's reputation in the region as a

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

cultural center, many creative people have been driven out of the city to Ypsilanti due to these changes. A vibrant, underground arts scene has begun to emerge as a result. This community gathered semiannually at the juried Shadow Art Fair held at the Arbor Brewing Company Microbrewery, which has now evolved into DIYpsi. *

Milton Rokeach Milton Rokeach (born in Hrubieszów as Mendel Rokicz, December 27, 1918 – October 25, 1988) was a Polish-American social psychologist. He taught at Michigan State University, the University of Western Ontario, Washington State University, and t ...

's 1964 psychiatric case study, ''

The Three Christs of Ypsilanti ''The Three Christs of Ypsilanti'' (1964) is a book-length psychiatric case study by Milton Rokeach, concerning his experiment on a group of three males with paranoid schizophrenia at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The book deta ...

'', inspired a stage play and two operas. Poet

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

described it as "a very funny book... about a hospital in which there are three gents, all of whom believe themselves to be the Lord. Which is common enough, except in the case of one—who had actually found a disciple!" * The 2017 feature film ''

Three Christs ''Three Christs'', also known as ''State of Mind'', is a 2017 American drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Jon Avnet and based on Milton Rokeach's nonfiction book '' The Three Christs of Ypsilanti''. It screened in the Gala Pre ...

'', directed by

Jon Avnet Jonathan Michael Avnet (born November 17, 1949), is an American director, writer and producer. Early life and education Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha (née Grossman) and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive with Avnet ...

, and starring

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

and

Peter Dinklage Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television and stage actor. He received international recognition for portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he wo ...

, is based on Milton Rokeach's book and set in Ypsilanti. Though the film was primarily shot in New York, several scenes were shot in downtown Ypsilanti. * Author

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

has a chapter titled "A Sappy Girl From Ypsilanti" in his 2005 book ''

A Man Without a Country ''A Man Without a Country'' (subtitle: ''A Memoir of Life in George W. Bush's America'') is an essay collection published in 2005 by the author Kurt Vonnegut. The essays deal with topics ranging from the importance of humor, to problems with ...

''. *

Elizabeth Meriwether Elizabeth Hughes Meriwether (born October 11, 1981) is an American writer, producer and television showrunner. She is known for creating the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'', and for writing the play ''Oliver Parker!'' (2010) and the romantic comedy fil ...

's 2006 play '' Heddatron'' is largely set in Ypsilanti. * The Ypsilanti City Council declared Lee Osler's "Back To Ypsilanti" the city's official song in 1983. * Ypsilanti is the subject of

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

' song, "For The Widows in Paradise, For The Fatherless in Ypsilanti", on his 2003 album ''

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

''. * A portrait of jazz guitarist

Randy Napoleon Randy Napoleon (born 30 May 1978) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger who tours nationally and internationally. He has also toured with the Freddy Cole Quartet, Benny Green (pianist), the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra led by ...

, painted by his grandmother, Fay Kleinman, is part of the permanent art collection of the Ypsilanti District Library. Napoleon performed his first public gig as leader at the age of twelve under a tent at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, an event sponsored by

WEMU WEMU (89.1 MHz) is a public radio station owned by Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. On weekdays, it carries NPR News and Information shows in morning and afternoon drive time, with jazz programs heard the rest of the day. On ...

radio. * The Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Ypsilanti hosted filming for two days of the Movie ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'', starring

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

. The funeral service and a few outside scenes were filmed at the Church, with locals posing as extras. * In the 2004 cartoon

Superior Defender Gundam Force , is a 2003 Japanese-American anime television series produced by Sunrise. The series was released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Gundam media franchise, and was the first Gundam series to be entirely animated in cel-shaded 3D comp ...

, in the intro for the eighth episode "A Princess, A Cake, and A Winged Knight" a character named Shute goes on to describe his hometown and claims it to be Ypsilanti, Michigan, shortly after he says he was "just kidding" and introduces the city as Neotopia. * The 2009 film '' Whip It,'' directed by Drew Barrymore, was partly filmed in Ypsilanti. * Ypsilanti is the setting of Season 3, Episode 8 of the television series, ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

,'' entitled "

A Very Supernatural Christmas "A Very Supernatural Christmas" is the eighth episode of the paranormal drama television series '' Supernatural''s third season. It was first broadcast on The CW on December 13, 2007. The narrative follows series protagonists Sam (Jared Padalecki ...

Linguist List

Ypsilanti was also the home to the main editing site of the

Linguist List The LINGUIST List is a major online resource for the academic field of linguistics. It was founded by Anthony Aristar in early 1990 at the University of Western Australia, and is used as a reference by the National Science Foundation in the Unite ...

, a major online resource for the field of

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

. It was mostly staffed by graduate students who attend

and runs several database websites and mailing lists.

Nicknames

Ypsilanti is often shortened to "Ypsi," particularly in spoken conversation and local/regional usage. Because a large number of residents or their ancestors migrated from

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

, certain neighborhoods (particularly on the far east side of the city and into Ypsilanti Township) are sometimes called "Ypsitucky."

Harriette Arnow Harriette Simpson Arnow (July 7, 1908 – March 22, 1986) was an American novelist and historian, who lived in Kentucky and Michigan. Arnow has been called an expert on the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, but she herself loved citie ...

's book ''

The Dollmaker ''The Dollmaker'' is a 1984 American made-for-television drama film starring Jane Fonda and based on the 1954 novel of the same title written by Harriette Arnow. It was originally broadcast on ABC on May 13, 1984. Fonda was awarded the Pr ...

'', which was made into a film starring

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, sev ...

, focused on the lives of these "Ypsituckians." Recently, the use of the term "Ypsitucky" has come under increased scrutiny due to its historically derogatory connotation. In 2008, the issue was raised after a dinner being held in Ann Arbor to honor

was described as an "Ypsitucky Supper" in some of the event organizer's media releases. In 2009, planning began for the "Ypsitucky Jamboree," a new music festival celebrating bluegrass music to be held in Ypsilanti in September 2009; this resulted in objections from some area residents and some members of the City Council, leading to renaming the event as simply "The Jamboree."

Sister cities

* Nafplio, Greece

References

External links

City of Ypsilanti Official Website

Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce
* {{Authority control Cities in Washtenaw County, Michigan Appalachian culture in Michigan Populated places established in 1823 Metro Detroit Cities in Michigan Mayors of Ypsilanti, Michigan 1823 establishments in Michigan Territory